


Writer's Block

by Maraculate



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: A little bit of projecting, Eventual Romance, Extended Metaphors, F/F, Fluff, I swear this gets better as time goes on, Jeremy Heere Is a Furry, Jeremy is a writer, Jeremy is an artist, Jeremy just loves art-related stuff okay, Ligma, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Memes, Metaphors, This took 40 minutes, Vines, Writer's Block, just a little, lol, not a lot of it though don't get too excited, not clickbait
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-22 01:45:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15571014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maraculate/pseuds/Maraculate
Summary: Jeremy (me) is suffering from Writer's Block, so he decides to draw his friends and describe them like how he would in a book.If you don't like metaphors you're going to wish there was an anti-kudos button.





	1. The Sound of Music

**Author's Note:**

> Me? Working on three series at once? Shhhhhh nobodyneedstoknoworworryokay
> 
> But, actually though, I should probably focus on my original series, Staring at a Mirror, because I really need to make sure it's quality since it's highkey my objectively best fanfic.

Jeremy had always wanted to write things.

 

He used to keep a journal and wrote about everything that went down in his life. He didn’t write down personal secrets or anything that could expose him since he took the journal everywhere. He stopped in Sophomore year and switched to actual writing on his computer. He recently finished an 80,000 word novel about superheroes that he would send in to a competition or two.

 

But it was November 2nd, 2018, and he had no idea what else to write.

 

Modern Mutants, his superhero book, was the first thing that he wrote that was novel-sized. Everything else was a poem, short story, or novella. He couldn’t even think of good ideas for those!

 

So, after switching between writing and typing, he saw it was approaching one in the morning. He had school at eight, so he gave up and decided to sleep it off.

 

Fast-forward through a day of school. He hung out with Michael, made jokes with Rich, chilled with Jake, gossiped with Jenna, helped Brooke with fashion, helped Chloe take pictures, and rehearsed with Christine. While he and Christine weren’t dating anymore, they remained great friends. Jeremy realized he was bi, too.

 

He started looking at boys and thought ‘oh my God, that’s gay’ until he realized that he couldn't stop thinking about guys. After a while, a new thought came up:

 

‘Oh my God. Guys. Are. Hot.’

 

He didn’t tell anyone even though Rich and Jake and Christine and Jenna were dating. Like, they were openly gay or bi or whatever, so why was he so nervous about it?

 

Jeremy realized that he was getting off-track. He stared at a blank google document and wanted to punch his computer.

 

“Fuck it. I’m going to look up worst tropes in fiction and see if that makes me feel better about myself,” Jeremy murmured. He clicked a few links and snorted at a few of the cliche high school novel tropes. His least favorite one was the Queen Bee trope of the school. The one where the most popular girl was stuck-up, annoying, bitchy, and unlikable because no one was like that. At least, no one could be like that and be popular.

 

Right?

 

Eventually, Jeremy found himself on a writing tip website. One of the tips caught his eye.

 

“Have you ever tried describing your friends? Writing people you know well into your stories breeds exciting new characters that likely won’t fall into pesky tropes!” Jeremy read.

 

The idea did make sense. He had a feeling that all of his friends could be excellent storybook characters-oh my God.

 

“Brain blast,” Jeremy murmured. He wrote a few sentences on his computer screen and immediately went to sleep. When he woke up, he forgot most of what happened yesterday. He turned on his computer and stared at the document.

 

‘Find ways to describe Jenna, Chloe, and Brooke.’ it said.

 

Oh, right. He was going to do that.

 

Jeremy picked up his journal and his trusty mechanical pencil. He ate toast, waved goodbye to his pants-wearing dad, and took the bus.

 

The next obstacle was obvious: how was he going to describe them?

 

Jeremy knew Brooke the best out of all three, so he decided to write about her first.

 

“Hey, Jeremy! I brought Starbucks for the group!” She held out two trays of varying Starbucks drinks. Jeremy took an iced coffee.

 

“Brooke, you are the best,” Jeremy beamed.

 

Brooke set the coffees down and finished her own coffee. She smirked at Jeremy.

 

“Why are you-”

 

“This bitch empty! **_Y E E T !_ ** ” She shouted. Brooke chucked her empty drink at a trash can and it went inside even though she was a good thirty feet or so away.

 

A round of applause, loudest from Jeremy, erupted.

 

“Bye Jeremy!” She waved enthusiastically before skipping along to class.

 

The beanpole opened his journal.

 

Pros: ‘Brooke is incredibly kind. She buys stuff for our friends all the time. Around Chloe, she is a bit subdued, but that’s because her heart beats a billion miles per hour around her. When around me or Rich, especially, she makes a lot of Vine references. She’s really pretty, and she’s smarter than she lets on. She’s a decent secret keeper, but Jenna is the number one at secret holding.’

 

Cons: ‘Brooke is eccentric, to say the least. Sometimes, her jokes fall flat and she can be a bit awkward. She’s the opposite of shy, but there are times when I wish she would stop talking so much. Like that one time when she thought I was a furry and wouldn’t stop talking about it. In front of the school.’

 

He closed it. He decided to focus on Brooke for the day.

 

Throughout lunch, Jeremy kept the book in his pocket. He paid more attention to what Brooke did more often than not. He eventually took out his book and drew a quick sketch of her. With enough time, he did some decent art pieces, but his sketching could use some work. Either way, people would still be able to guess that his sketch was Brooke.

 

“Oooh, Jeremy’s drawing for once!” Michael realized. Jeremy would’ve slapped his stupid ass silly if he could’ve.

 

“I got bored,” he lied.

 

“Show me, show me, show me, show me!” Michael demanded. Why did people get so obsessed over seeing artwork?

 

“It’s not done yet. I’ll show you later,” Jeremy stalled.

 

“Now I want to see!” Christine whined.

 

The other six joined in with the complaints.

 

Jeremy was going to blow out his brains if they kept it up.

 

Eventually, the bell rang, and Jeremy could leave for Study Hall. He finished his sketch and felt content with it.

 

Next was his favorite part.

 

He liked identifying his characters as something in the universe. Like how water represented tranquility, calm, and life.

 

For Brooke, it was easy what he wanted to do.

 

Music.

 

A lot of people describe Brooke’s voice as ‘music to their ears’ and Jeremy had to agree. A lot of Brooke’s personality related to music, too. Music could be sweet and soothing or cacophonic and loud. He decided to stick with the former. A lot of the things she said moved at a mile per minute, and most of the time, it was well-articulated. She flowed from one word to another like one note to the next. When she stopped talking, you wanted to hear more. You wanted to hear her music again because it’s so warm, bright, and simply amazing. Brooke could probably be like a piano; loud and dramatic at one moment and soft and kind at the next. Her diva side didn’t come out as much anymore, even around Chloe, so Jeremy kept up his metaphor about her ‘music’ being ‘sweet.’

 

He filled up about three pages with descriptions and drawings of Brooke. His favorite drawing was one that took him about two hours. She was playing a piano while singing and the notes flew everywhere. Semibreves, crotchets, and quavers filled up a lot of the drawing. Her clothes were black and white and her blonde hair was put up into a fancy bun. In the background, a crowd of people were cheering and beaming and some were adding their own music notes.

 

At around two in the morning, his head hit the pillow again.

 

On that same Friday, Jeremy wasn’t sure if he wanted to show Brooke his drawings. What if she got creeped out or offended? She wouldn’t hate him for it, but their relationship points would decrease.

 

“Hey, Jeremy! You finish those drawings?” Speaking of the she-devil.

 

“Uh…” Jeremy blushed.

 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Can I look now?” She seemed really excited.

  
“Do you promise never to talk about them again after I show you?” Jeremy cringed. He was seriously about to show her those… abominations?

 

“I promise!” Brooke was probably lying, but he would never hear the end of it.

 

“It’s not good, so just…” Jeremy opened to the pages. “There’s a third page afterwards. I can already guess that you hate these pages, so just don’t turn the-”

 

Brooke turned the page, her eyes widening in even more shock. Was that the page with the drawing he sorta liked? He didn’t remember.

 

“Sorry about the furry thing,” Brooke finally said.

 

“That’s all you have to say?” Jeremy scoffed. “Sorry. That was mean.”

 

“No, no. This is… awesome. Holy shit, am I going to be one of your book characters?” She asked. Brooke, Michael, and Christine usually read his writing, including the book he just finished.

 

“Maybe? I was having writer’s block and this… happened. You actually like this?” Jeremy couldn’t quite believe her.

 

“I love it. Seriously. I never thought that someone would describe me so awesomely as music!” Her voice got louder. Jeremy shushed her as his face burned red.

 

“Don’t tell anyone, okay? You’re the first person who knows about this. In fact, you’re the first person that I drew. I’m not even sure I want to draw everyone else because I think that Jake and Chloe especially will laugh at me,” Jeremy admitted.

 

“I don’t think that they would…” Brooke pursed her lips. “Would they?” She looked up and made a face.

 

“See my point?”

 

“Okay, okay, girl scout’s honor. I won’t tell anyone until you want me to. Who are you going to draw next, though?” She asked.

 

“Probably Jenna, I guess,” Jeremy shrugged. He had a few ideas for Rich, actually, but he was the wild card in Jeremy’s mind. The willowy man had absolutely no clue as to how he would react.

 

Then again, he had no idea how anyone would react. At least Brooke had a positive reaction.


	2. Lightspeed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy decides on what he's going to draw for Jenna.
> 
> A few hiccups occur when he tries showing her, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao I didn't check over this chapter for grammar but that's okay.

That same day, Jeremy sketched out a few drawings of Jenna. He usually saved the link to the universe last, so he chose to focus on the descriptions first.

 

“Hey, Jeremy. You got a Mountain Dew on you?” Jenna went up to him while he was scribbling in his journal. “Whatcha writing?” She tried to peak over.

 

“I’ll buy you a Mountain Dew if you don’t ask about my journal,” Jeremy promised.

 

“Deal.”

 

Jenna went to her next class and Jeremy went to English. The teacher and class were jokes, so he took out his journal and started writing about Jenna.

 

Pros: ‘Jenna knows everything. Not just about people, but she is insanely smart and I’m pretty sure she has a photographic memory. My essays and homework assignments have one hundreds just because she looked at them for a few minutes. She’s also fun to talk to, and she has a warm heart that she doesn’t like to show.’

 

Cons: ‘Jenna knows all my secrets. She’s spread rumors about me before, and that kind of sucks. Also, she has a bit of a superiority complex that can get to be toxic every once in a while.’

 

He worked on a few more sketches and added a few footnotes before he closed his journal shut. He walked home after giving warm goodbyes to everyone.

 

In Jeremy’s room, he had an old stand and plenty of canvasses. He got out some paint and decided to do an ‘official’ drawing of Brooke before working on Jenna. In the end, he decided to paint the drawing he really liked in his journal.

 

By the end of it, Jeremy liked how it wasn’t too different from his drawing. The main difference was that Brooke looked more alive and human with splashes of color. Since the piano and her dress were black and white, they were simplistic to finish.

 

Now came the hard part.

 

Jeremy thought for a while on what Jenna should be. He ultimately decided to go for a light-based theme.

 

While Jenna wasn’t the light of his life, she was the brightest out of everyone. Everything she did, she did with speed and finesse. Whether it was spreading gossip or doing work, it was all done in a blink of an eye. Jenna also had a tendency to shed some light on situations that are confusing. She could explain TV show plot holes and foreshadows in a well-articulated way that would usually end up right. 

 

Was Jeremy stretching the metaphor?

 

He knew that something was wrong with Jenna’s metaphor. Light was good, but it was missing a few pieces.

 

Sunshine, maybe? No, that was more Christine. Jeremy’s face lit up when he realized that he could probably include that somehow for his dorky play-loving friend.

 

Shadows? No, that was too edgy, but it was also a bit closer to what he wanted. Light by itself wasn’t enough, so what was missing?

 

Jeremy thought back to Mulan II. He had just watched the movie with Chloe and Brooke since he never knew there was a sequel. While it had fewer songs than the original, it was still up there with one of his favorite Disney movies.

 

Anyway, one of the main messages early on was when Mulan explained fighting to a few young girls who saw her as a hero. She explained how to be a good warrior, the girls had to be hard like a rock and soft like a cloud. Like an oak, you must stand firm and like bamboo, you must bend in the wind. Think fast, unafraid, and know that it’s okay to be afraid, too.

 

Opposites. They’re opposites.

 

Oh, duh.

 

Jeremy realized that Jenna had dark parts to her that could be seen as ‘slow’. She was often insecure, and that interrupted her ability to process/think more often than not. And with every light, there was a darkness that came along with it.

 

Jeremy wrote an important note. 

 

‘Light without darkness is blinding. Darkness without light is the abyss.’

 

He was pretty sure someone said that already, but he could at least pretend to be clever.

 

Jeremy started on his drawing of Jenna. He painted one half of her as light by using almost every color (with yellow being dominant). Jeremy painted the other half as pitch black and realized that it looked like her flesh was melting off. He shrugged and hoped that it would be seen as metaphorical and inspirational to anyone that asked.

 

At the end, he chose to make the background grey. He also drew a thin silvery line down the middle of Jenna’s body and smiled at the finished piece. He looked at the time and found it was only ten. He took two pictures, printed them, and put them in his journal. 

 

He fell asleep.

 

The next day, he saw Brooke reach for his journal on the chair next to him during math. He slapped her hand and she scowled at him.

 

“Later,” Jeremy hissed.

 

After the class ended, Brooke stood in front of him, so he couldn’t stand up. “It’s later,” she said.

 

Jeremy handed her his journal, not remembering that Jenna was in it. 

 

“Oh my God, that’s Jenna!” She screeched. A few people turned to face her and one or two tried to come over.

 

“It’s nothing!” Jeremy countered, grabbing the journal back and putting it in his bag. “Brooke! I don’t want the entire student body seeing my drawings! It’s embarrassing!”

 

“How is it embarrassing? They’re good!” She insisted.

 

“Yeah, but people are going to think I’m weird because I draw and describe you guys in my journal. How stalkerish is that?” Jeremy sighed.

 

“Look, I’ll help introduce your drawings to everyone, okay? That way, I’ll take a piece of the embarrassment,” Brooke promised.

 

Jeremy sighed and sagged. “Okay.”

 

Brooke squealed again and Jeremy thought his eardrums would rupture.

 

“But we’re only showing her the drawings. The descriptions are mortifying,” Jeremy finished.

 

“Done. Let’s go find Jenna!” Brooke pulled Jeremy along to their smart friend’s locker.

 

“Hey… guys?” Jenna’s tone went flat when she saw Brooke nudge Jeremy multiple times.

  
“You know how everyone was asking about my drawings?” Jeremy murmured. He opened to the right page. “I’ve been drawing our friend group. Well, painting, but-” his voice died when he heard Jenna’s camera go off.

 

“This is awesome! Jeremy, I have to post this right now! Do you have anymore?” Jenna beamed.    


 

“W-Wait, no! Don’t post it! At least, not yet?” Jeremy tried. “I don’t want anyone else seeing my artwork until I’m at least done.” He took a few steps back.

 

“Look at this one of me!” Brooke pulled out her phone and showed Jenna the painting Jeremy made of her.

 

“How did you get that?” He squawked.

 

“I took it when you weren’t looking. Sorry! I couldn’t help myself!” Brooke caved.

 

“Look, if people see my art, they’re going-”

 

“They already love it,” Jenna interrupted. Jeremy watched the likes on instagram build up and then he stared at the caption.

 

‘Jeremy makes the coolest art ever! More will be coming later!’ It read out. She posted the painting of herself and Brooke.

 

Jeremy was dying on the inside. “Why would you do that?” He finally asked.

 

“Read the captions and thank me later!” Jenna shoved her phone in his face.

 

‘Jeremy made these? Holy fucking shit, they’re amazing.’

 

‘Lowkey this is good???? Why isn’t his stuff posted around the school?’

 

‘Click here for free followers! You can get thousands of followers by downloading our app!’

 

A lot more comments like the first two showed up. Jeremy could feel his entire body fidget and his face burn like a roast left in the oven for way too long. 

 

“I think I’m going to pass out and die,” Jeremy said.

 

“You’re not going to-” Jeremy didn’t hear the rest of that sentence because his head hit the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably post one of these per day since writing this is really easy for me.


	3. Cryoskin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice Queens are such an overrated trope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this chapter was longer than I expected. Not saying much since it's only like 2000 words.

“Hey, Jeremy could you draw me?”

 

“Hey dude, could you make a painting of me?”

 

“I’ll give you a hit for free if you draw me.”

 

“Dude, your drawings are making my crops flourish and my skin clear up. I even did a makeup tutorial online based off your drawing of Jenna!”

 

“Do you do commissions?”

 

“You should put your shit in the art show!”

 

“You’re easily the best artist in this school!” 

 

“So, Jeremy I heard you made art,” Madeline came up to him. She had her French accent on, and she honestly looked a lot like Chloe with a more oval face, red hair, and sleek glasses.

 

“Yeah…?” Jeremy trailed off. He was awkwardly putting things in his locker. He never talked to anyone outside of his friend group, so it was weird when as soon as he walked into the school, people were talking to him. Not to sound like a stereotypical shy guy ™, but he simply didn’t prefer talking to so many people. Besides, it wasn’t like they cared about who he was. They cared about his drawing skills, and that was pretty much it.

 

“Draw me.” Not even a please, goddamn.

 

“I’m kind of busy. I want to finish drawing my friends,” Jeremy got up. He had good ideas for Chloe and Rich, especially. Jake, Christine, and Michael were definitely harder, so he chose to focus on the easier ones, first.

 

“We can become friends. Or maybe better than that,” Madeline flirted.

 

Jeremy turned red, but not because he suddenly developed a crush on Madeline. She must have took that as ‘I am interested’ because she caught Jeremy off guard with a kiss. Jeremy reacted fast enough so that she only kissed the corner of his lips, closer to his cheek. 

 

“You know what? I’ll think about it. Got to go, though.” Jeremy nearly shoved her out of the way after slamming his locker shut with a loud  _ CLANG _ .

 

He wasn’t sure how Madeline would react to that, so he ran into Study Hall into his private corner and buried his face in a book. How was he so spineless to let someone just walk over him like that? He could never tell anyone about his harassment.

 

Then, a worse thought came to mind; what if she told everyone and twisted the story?

 

He knew Jenna always checked her phone in five minute intervals in class, so he texted ‘code black to the study hall area’. He stared at his phone and got an ‘OMW’ text from Jenna about a minute later. 

 

Not even two minutes passed, and Jenna was taking in a few breaths as she met up with Jeremy. “How bad is it? Is your reputation dying?” She guessed.

 

“It’s about to. Madeline tried to kiss me after I didn’t give her an immediate ‘yes’ to drawing her. I tried saying that I was drawing my friends first, but she insisted and I ran off after she kissed me around here…” Jeremy explained. “What if she makes me out to be the bad guy?”

 

Jenna whipped out her phone. “Anything Madeline tries to spread, I can do it better. And faster,” she reassured him. 

 

“Is there anything up yet?” Jeremy tapped his finger against his leg repeatedly.

 

“She literally just posted something. ‘All it takes to get what you want is just a kiss. @JHeere can be convinced easily. You guys aren’t trying hard enough’ is what it says,” Jenna explained.

 

Jeremy was about to have a huge anxiety attack. “Can you do something about it?” He asked.

 

“Working on it,” Jenna promised. 

 

His intelligent friend was on a texting speedrun. It was like that one episode of Sam & Cat where Sam entered a texting competition and she only had one hand to use? Imagine double the speed.

 

“Damnit, Madeline has gotten better at this. Better doesn’t mean as good as me though…” Jenna murmured.

 

“What’s happening?” Jeremy pulled out his own phone. Jenna and Madeline were in a tweeting war and if Jeremy wasn’t the catalyst of it, he would’ve been dying laughing. 

 

“Me winning. While I don’t think I can stop people from asking, I deconstructed literally everything she said and the people of the school agree along with my political and social contacts from out of town,” Jenna said.

 

“You have political and social contacts?”

 

“I’m going to become President when I’m older. Better start early by earning favors,” Jenna shrugged.

 

Jeremy wasn’t going to ask.

 

“Thank you so much. I’m not in the mood for being sexually assaulted anymore,” Jeremy sighed. Jenna pulled him into a quick hug and then shuddered.

 

“Ew, physical contact. Also, ugh, emotions. You’re welcome, though. I’m only a phone call away, Jeremy.” She ran back to class.

 

Jeremy opened up his journal and started to work on Chloe. He also added a few more pros to Jenna’s section.

 

Pros: ‘Chloe had a big heart underneath her stereotypical popular girl looks. She was beautiful, that was for sure, but that wasn’t important to me. Chloe had a no-bullshit policy and everyone knew exactly what Chloe thought of them. I could really respect that since I could never be that direct with anyone. There are worse people out there then Chloe, and I don’t mean that as a bad thing. I’m just saying that she is better company than 95% of the school.’

 

Cons: ‘It was sometimes hard to talk to Chloe because of how brutally honest she could be. It’s also kind of hard to be myself around her since I don’t want to run the risk of her making fun of the things I like. She had a bit of a mean streak, but she did like my company because I knew she was honest. She also had a tendency to pressure people into doing things that they didn’t want, but I think she just doesn’t understand how pushy she could be.’

 

Jeremy knew that Chloe should be ice. For a while, people stuck her with the name Ice Queen for obvious reasons. They believed that their advances would work on anyone, and because she rejected them when any  _ lucky _ and  _ intelligent  _ girl would have said ‘yes’, she was given the title.

 

But that wasn’t his own reasoning.

 

It took a lot for people to make Chloe melt and for others to warm up to her, too. But just like ice, if you kept at it, both sides would melt and love each other. If not, then the ice between both parties would refreeze. It took a little bit of time for Chloe and Jeremy to become friends, even with the Squip, sure, but they did become close. Chloe enjoyed Jeremy’s presence and Jeremy could look up to her as an older sister of sorts. 

 

When he got home, he knew that he would be using a lot of blue paint.

 

He drew Chloe in an outfit very similar to Elsa’s, but it had a few key differences. He made the bottom a lot wider so it would seem more like a ballroom gown. He drew a large silvery crown on top of her head instead of a tiara, and snow flew past her like bullets. 

 

He was glad he made her look dazzling. Otherwise, he was sure that Chloe would kill him.

 

He fell asleep with a proud smile on his face.

 

After he got ready for school the next day, his foot was out the door when he realized that he didn’t take a picture of his painting. He ran back upstairs, took the picture, and took the bus to school. He held his journal close to his heart, a proud smile on his face.

 

He found Chloe fixing her appearance with her locker mirror. Surprisingly, her locker wasn’t decked out with makeup supplies. Just a comb and hair ties. 

 

“Hey, Chloe,” Jeremy said.

 

“I heard what happened with that fake ass skank. Sorry that you had to breathe near her, let alone be forced to kiss her.” Jeremy was sure that Chloe genuinely felt bad, but to a normal person, it just sounded like she only cared about what Madeline did, not how Jeremy felt about it.

 

“It’s okay. She missed my lips.” Jeremy shrugged. “I… um… I decided to draw you. Would you like to see it?” 

 

“Wait, seriously?” Chloe slammed her locker shut. “After seeing how many people asked, I wasn’t going to do it myself, well, I would’ve waited a little bit, but now I want to see it!” She beamed.

 

Jeremy showed her the picture. He didn’t show anyone the pros and cons, so he wouldn’t run the risk of offending them.

 

“Oh my God,” she said. Her tone was neutral.

 

“Is it bad? Oh, damnit, I should’ve reworked it so that-” 

 

“You fucking gremlin, you’re calling me an ice queen? Did someone put you up to that?” She pressed her finger on the picture.

 

“No, that’s not-”

 

“Whatever. Congratulations, Jeremy. That’s one less person you have to worry about asking about your stupid art.” She shoved his journal back in his arms.

 

Jeremy was speechless. He went off to find Brooke. She was sitting in the cafeteria while eating a banana muffin.

 

“Hey Jeremy!” Is what Jeremy translated from her muffin-mouth speech. She swallowed and wiped her face.

 

“I made a big mistake,” Jeremy said. He showed Brooke the drawing.

 

“Why, it’s really goodohmygod you drew her as ice?” Brooke’s gaze turned sharp. “Are you fucking serious?”

 

“I realized how badly I messed up. I tried explaining, but she pushed the journal away and sauntered off. I’m such a moron.” Jeremy sat down and covered his face in his hands.

 

“All I can do for you is arrange a talk,” Brooke sighed. “Chloe never liked being called that, you know.”

 

“Can I explain what I was trying to do?” Jeremy asked.

 

“You can try, but Chloe is the one you should be justifying this, too.” Brooke’s eyes widened for a moment, but then they went back to normal as if she had two conflicting epiphanies. 

 

“I was trying to make it out to be a positive thing,” Jeremy murmured. “I think of Chloe as someone that’s hard to warm up to. She also takes a while to warm up to other people. But, if you keep working at being her friend, both sides will melt away their facades and become good friends. I really respect her, and I’m glad for her honesty. I was trying to draw her as a literal ice queen. A beautiful lady that has a warm heart even in the middle of a snowstorm.” Brooke looked confused for a moment. “A metaphorical snowstorm.”

 

“Oh. Well, it’s a good thing I recorded that and sent that to Chloe,” Brooke said. 

 

Jeremy was about to screech at her like a pterodactyl when the realization set in. “Why would you do that? She’s going to look at me like I’m a psychopath!”

 

“Or maybe she’ll be willing to talk things out and apologize for her rashness?” Brooke suggested.

 

“Why would she ever do that?” Jeremy didn’t get the obvious hint.

 

“She wants to talk things out, apologize for her rashness, and also say that she would totally let you take her out on a date if you keep talking like that,” Brooke said. 

 

“You can handle the date part, Brooke,” Jeremy fired back.

 

She spluttered. “How did you know?”

 

“I think Chloe even knows.” Jeremy gave her an apologetic grin. 

 

“Oh, yeah? I bet that you don’t even know that Mah…” her voice died out.

 

“What don’t I know?” He tilted his head.

 

“That Mr. Reyes wants you to draw a few things for theatre?” She tried.

 

“You’re so obviously lying, but I don’t think I’ll get an answer out of you.”

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” Brooke sighed. “Hey Chloe.”

 

Jeremy flinched and turned around. Chloe was looking down at them. “Chloe, I’m so so-” She held up a hand. He stopped talking.

 

“I acted like a stereotypical dramatic teenage girl and I didn’t even bother to let you explain. Now that I’ve heard your explanation, I forgive you and I really appreciate the painting,” Chloe said. Jeremy hugged his fellow senior and she hugged back.

 

“We cool?”

 

“We’re cool. I kind of like the similarities to Elsa.”

 

“Well, that’s what I was thinking, but I chose a ballgown and crown because I feel like it gave you more of a royal look which is befitting our future Prom Queen…” Jeremy kept babbling on about his art. Brooke and Chloe hung on to every word as he went over his drawings.

 

“So who’s next?” Brooke finally asked.

 

“Rich, why?” Jeremy’s eyes darted from Chloe to Brooke and back.

 

“You’re not going to draw him as fire, right?” Chloe raised an eyebrow.

 

Jeremy opened up his mouth and promptly closed it. “I’ll think of something better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos make the world go around! Also, bookmarks!


	4. Galaxy Rush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy gets 2 ideas in 1 and he realizes that he might have caught feelings for a certain Reggae Filipino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMAO what's editing?

“Fuck, what else can I describe Rich as besides ‘fire’ because I’m going to die if I draw that,” Jeremy muttered to himself.

 

He had a few scribbled in notes for Rich, but his pros and cons were the extent of his work. 

 

Pros: ‘Rich was ready to fight anyone at anytime. He was fiercely loyal to a fault, and he bullies everyone who deserves to be bullied now. AKA, people who act like assholes to him or our squad. He has the most energy and heart out of anyone in our friend group. He’s basically the personification of red: passionate, energetic, fiery, spontaneous, etc… but what relates to red better than fire?’

 

Cons: ‘He used to treat me like I was shit on the ground. He was ready to fight anyone at anytime, and he’s made a few threats towards me even when we were friends. Sometimes, the jokes he makes at my expense are funny for everyone but him, but he’s not a  _ bad guy _ per se. I just wish he was a bit nicer.’

 

That was basically the extent of what he had.

 

All that came to mind was fire. Rich was fire. That was an almost undeniable truth. 

 

So how the fuck was Jeremy going to draw him?

 

He tried pairing Rich with other phenomenon like lightning, plasma, stars, and clouds. None of them really worked with him. Honestly, stars could work with Jake. Something to consider doing next.

 

Maybe he should focus on Jake, instead?

 

What did he like about Jake? Besides using him as the occasional masturbation material, Jeremy appreciated his jock-ish friend.

 

He started writing shit down.

 

Pros: ‘Jake is a nice guy when you get past his brutish and ornery exterior. He cracks a lot of jokes, and he can be funny without being mean to anyone. Jake is also one of those jock guys that pretend to be manly, but are actually dorks. I saw him stare at a dog that his neighbor was walking and go down to pet it and it was literally the cutest thing ev- wow, I sound like I have a crush on him. Don’t love him that much. Anyway, Jake is really hot. Wait, am I serious right now.’

 

Cons: ‘He occasionally ignores me and makes comments about me being invisible sometimes. It’s not bad, obviously, but I would prefer it if he didn’t point it out every time. He’s also kind of a moron. I once saw him put a ‘d’ in the word orange. It made me want to kill myself, but I guess stupidity is attractive to some people. Not to me, as pretentious as that sounds.’

 

Jeremy started drawing Jake as part of the galaxy, but halfway through, something felt wrong.

 

It wasn’t that the drawing was bad. Not at all. Jake was completely made out of space, stars, and asteroids. He outstretched his arms and they held galaxies within them. In the corner of the drawing, there was a collection of planets and the sun, too. Jeremy wondered if he should have made them bigger.

 

Then, it hit him. It was the kind of thought that only artists, and possibly drug users, could have.

 

What if Jeremy made Rich the sun?

 

He worked on painting Rich as the sun. Instead of pulling a Telletubbies and putting his face on the sun, he decided to draw Rich holding the sun in his hands. His entire body would be made out of orange, yellow, and red and it would simply be a bright painting. While Jake’s galaxy was calm and subdued, Rich’s sunlight was constantly intense. 

 

A new idea struck him: what if he combined them?

 

It was two in the morning when Jeremy started the third painting, but he was going to lose all his inspiration if he stopped working. He would just pull an all-nighter. No big deal. He had no tests or homework to worry about. He also had his best friend, black coffee, waiting for him in the morning. Well, technically it was morning, and-

 

Jeremy was so obviously  _ losing  _ it, but he really wanted to harm himself by not sleeping and then act surprised when his poor life decisions bit him in the ass.

 

At five in the morning, Jeremy saw the sun and wanted death to claim his soul. He at least finished the painting. 

 

Rich was sitting on top of the sun, as fiery as ever, but Jake was watching him with wide eyes and confusion. Rich looked at him with a wide smirk and his arm was reaching out. Jake had an apprehensive arm out as well.

 

It looked fucking awesome and it was so worth harming himself.

 

He called Michael because his friend could sleep for three hours and be perfectly alright. “Hey, buddy?” Jeremy tried.

 

“Jere? Something wrong that you have to call me at five?” Michael yawned.

 

“Is it bad if I mix five hour energy with dayquil?” Jeremy wondered. “I might throw in some coffee and monster energy drink, just in case,” he added.

 

“You will, no joke, die on the spot. As much as I would laugh, I would have no one to play Apocalypse of the Damned with,” Michael said.

 

“Thanks for picking up my call. I now know what to do with my life.” Jeremy pretended to run downstairs.

 

“Don’t die, pal,” Michael warned.

 

“No promises.”

 

Jeremy took pictures of his art, printed them out, and shoved them in his book. It was a good thing that his dad was on a business trip or else he would ask way too many questions for Jeremy’s brain to handle.

 

Usually, Jeremy liked to start his day with coffee on an empty stomach before deciding to open up a box of cocoa puffs or maybe a pop tart if he felt like spoiling himself. He could honestly go out and buy Starbucks or Dunkin for breakfast every day, but he liked to save his money on art supplies because who needed food when you could draw your starvation? Even though Jeremy was pretty sure his dad would buy any art supplies he needed, it wasn’t like he felt good about taking his money despite the plethora of dollars that were rolling in.

 

After knocking over a plastic water bottle that was, thankfully, closed, he went to school. He wondered if Jake and Rich would think his drawing was stupid or something. They didn’t seem to be the type of people that liked art. At all.

 

Also, would they take his drawing of them together as some sort of push? Jeremy had no idea about who had feelings for whom. No one in their friend group was dating anyone, and Jeremy had no idea what people were ever thinking. He confessed that to Michael who just said that a lot of people were oblivious.

 

Then, Jeremy saw Rich and Jake at the ladder’s locker and took a deep breath.

 

Maybe it wouldn’t go badly.

 

“I drew you guys!” Jeremy didn’t expect himself to be so direct. He opened his journal to the right page and showed them the three separate photos of the paintings.

 

“Oh, shit, I’m the sun?”

 

“And I’m… a galaxy? What does that mean?” Jake asked.

 

“It means that I’m burning this planet and keeping it alive, of course! My presence keeps this Earth moving!” Rich beamed.

 

“So, if I’m the galaxy, that means I’m… big?” Jake suggested.

 

Jeremy had three comments that he would never voice, but thought of anyway.

 

The first one was obviously ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’

 

The second one was ‘Rich’s brain cells must be dying.’

 

The third one was ‘Jake’s big in my wet dreams.’

 

What Jeremy actually said was, “They’re metaphors. I think you guys represent this stuff,” Jeremy lamely explained. Technically, Jake was the stars, but Jeremy could see how he would get confused.

 

“What do they mean?” Rich finally asked.

 

“I think the sun represents vitality, energy, and enthusiasm. Obviously, traits that belong to y-”

 

“Don’t forget hot!” Rich interrupted.

 

Jeremy would’ve looked into the camera like he was in The Office if he could. “I think the stars are a bit wild, enchanting, and enigmatic. Also, big, I guess,” Jeremy said. His reasoning for Jake was kind of lame, but he ate Jeremy’s bullshit up like how a dog ate grass.

 

“These look awesome, dude! I’m not sure about metalphors, but they are cool, bro!” Jake stared at them in awe.

 

A few people came around to look at Jeremy’s journal, and he decided to take out the pictures and pass them around because, ugh, social interaction with acquaintances (at best).

 

“Hey, dude. Did you take that five hour energy mix?” Michael wondered.

 

“No, unfortunately. I stuck to black coffee,” Jeremy said. “I took pictures of the drawings.” He pointed to the crowd of people near Jake’s locker.

 

“I’m surprised you picked it back up, Jere,” Michael said. 

 

“Me too. I guess I should’ve just became popular using… my art.” Jeremy’s voice got smaller.

 

“Do not get guilty over something I’ve long forgive you for,” Michael warned him.

 

“But-”

 

“Jeremy. It’s okay. I promise,” Michael interrupted.

 

Jeremy sighed and stared at the floor. Michael wanted to pull him into a tight hug and never let him go, but he doubted that Jeremy would want that.

 

But lowkey Jeremy wanted a hug from his bigger friend. Like how he used to hold onto his giant stuffed teddy bear for dear life whenever he had bad days in sixth grade.

 

“Okay. Well, I’m almost done with drawing what I wanted to draw. It’s just Christine… and you.” Jeremy took an awkward step back.

 

“There’s no pressure coming from me!” Michael shook his head quickly and made an ‘x’ with his hands. “Seriously, you don’t have to draw me if it’s stressing you out.” He was such a liar.

 

“I want to draw my friends. It would be nice if other people didn’t ask, but I really want to draw you guys!” Jeremy insisted. “That’s why I didn’t get any sleep. I really wanted to draw Rich and Jake,” he added.

 

“I see. Well, don’t lose sleep over drawing me. I’ll be convinced you want to suck my dong if you spend an extraordinary long time on me,” Michael chuckled.

 

For some unexplainable reason, Jeremy planned on taking a while on Michael’s painting.

 

“Hey, Jeremy? Could you draw me?” One of the Sophomores asked.

 

“Oh, no,” Jeremy murmured.

 

“Run, Jeremy! I’ll take a bullet for you! This one time, though!” Michael promised.

 

“Thanks, Michael! Love you lots!” He ran off.

 

Michael’s heart warmed as he blocked desperate-to-be-drawn teenagers from killing his crush/best friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has turned into a self-indulgent shitpost oops.


	5. Hummingbird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The art lifestyle really takes it toll on Jeremy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly feel like these chapters are getting better, but they're also taking longer because I want to actually do something quality since barely anyone actually likes this story.

“What if I drew Christine as a taco?” Jeremy asked. It was midnight.

 

“What if I… fuck, I had something.” It was two in the morning.

 

“AH!” Jeremy screeched. He had fallen asleep at his desk and he checked the time. It was seven and he was ready to kill everyone and then kill himself.

 

“Call Michael,” Jeremy told his phone.

 

“Eyyo, Jim’s whore house. You got the dough, we got the hoe!” Michael beamed.

 

“You know it’s me, dude. I love you and all, but I’m going through severe depression,” Jeremy said.

 

Michael coughed a little bit when Jeremy said ‘love’, but he didn’t take note of it, he was so damn tired.

 

“You okay, though? For the first time in a while, I’m actually concerned for your well-being,” Michael said.

 

“I’ve been getting less and less sleep and I passed out while trying to think of a theme for Christine,” Jeremy sighed. 

 

“Aw, saving the best for last?” Michael cooed.

 

Michael had no idea. Jeremy instead said, “You’re honestly going to be even harder to do.”

 

“Did you make a pros and cons thing or whatever?” Michael was pretty sure Jeremy mentioned that at some point.

 

“What cons could you think of for Christine?” Jeremy chuckled. “All I got was that she gets distracted easily and gets hurt a lot. Those aren’t glaring flaws.”

 

“Why don’t you draw her as like a rainbow or something? Beautiful, hopeful, and pretty wild,” Michael suggested.

 

“I thought of rainbows. I think you’re on the right track, but it’s missing something vital. Not just something, but a lot of things, actually,” Jeremy mumbled. “Like, I think that rainbows are a smaller piece of a bigger puzzle.”

 

“I don’t get it, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re a dumbass when it comes to a lot of things, but not art,” Michael said.

 

“Thanks, buddy. I know I can count on you.” Jeremy’s tone was laced with sweet venom.

 

He packed up his things and went to school. He brought his art supplies so he could distract himself during Study Hall. Being a Senior came with the perk of having virtually no stress besides choosing a college (which Jeremy had already done. He was going to an art school thirty minutes away from Michael’s college) and the occasional test. 

 

At least, that was what he thought.

 

“Shit, Jeremy, we’ve got a code fucking grey,” Jenna called him.

 

“Wait, you weren’t able to bully someone into not doing something?” Jeremy was sitting in the art room by himself. He was still thinking of the theme he should do.

 

“Not someone. Some people. More like half of our grade, at least. Rich let slip that sometimes you go into the art room to work,” she gulped. “Jeremy?”

 

“Yes?” He hid his journal in his bag and tried to pack up.

 

“Run.”

 

Jeremy panicked and literally heard footsteps crowd towards the art room. He looked to the teacher with horrified eyes and she looked at him with a confused look. Their voices were getting louder and Jeremy realized that he had nowhere to go.

 

“Fuck…” Jeremy murmured under his breath.

 

If Jeremy had to describe his feelings, it was like being Mufasa and watching the stampede come closer. Instead of killing Jeremy, however, they were asking him for commissions. Some even  _ threw  _ money at him. Was his grade seriously lacking in artists that they needed to come and harass him?

 

“Okay, wait!” Jeremy shouted with an inner strength that would’ve been really nice for the first… seventeen years of his life. “How about you watch me work?” Jeremy suggested. Right after Study Hall was lunch, and his paintings usually took an hour and a half. Hopefully, he would think of an idea before he starved.

 

Jeremy felt his phone buzz. It was Michael.

 

“Hey, Michael. I’m caught up in a…” he turned back to everyone. “Slight problem,” Jeremy understated.

 

“I saw a stampede run to the art room like the anchovies from Spongebob going inside the Krusty Krab,” Michael said. “I’m actually worried, now. I feel like your popularity is like the coming of a metaphorical spring for you. Well, more like winter, actually since you’re going to die to a bunch of teenagers who want to be drawn!” 

 

“Wait, Michael, you just saved me!” Jeremy realized. “I can draw Christine, now!”

 

“Oh, uh, okay?” 

 

Jeremy hung up and got out a lot of colors, but green and blue were the most prevalent. He ignored the eyes on him and just focused on painting.

 

A few people had left by the end of the process, but a few stuck around with cameras out.

 

In the center of the forest stood a green Christine with clothes and a tiara made completely out of flowers. The wind was blue and ‘blowing’ the grass to the side. Her dress was mainly made out of gold, pink, and blue flowers while the tiara had red and white roses. The sky had a triple rainbow and it was drawn from the perspective of the ground in front of Christine.

 

After all, she was basically the harbinger of Spring.

 

Spring had life, rejuvenation, growth, and wild...ness. Spring was when the dreary times went away, and where flowers could bloom and birds could sing and trees could replenish leaves. Christine’s presence basically shifted the tone of every room she stepped in. She was just a living ray of sunshine that made everyone’s days brighter.

 

Maybe she should’ve been the sun.

 

Jeremy turned back to his finished piece. 

 

Nah.

 

“It’s, uh, done,” Jeremy murmured. He took a picture of it and planned on printing it later.

 

Mrs.  Mxyzptlk had never seen so many children in her art room at once, so she let it slide that they were recording Jeremy.

 

Almost immediately, another wave of ‘draw me’ came from multiple voices. Jeremy was about to have an anxiety attack in that art room if they kept it up.

 

“I will blow you for a drawing!” Someone shouted in the crowd.

 

Jesus fucking Christ, Jeremy hated people.

 

“Oh, look! The time! We have to go to next class!” Jeremy shouted. Not only did he have to go to class, he was  _ starving _ and  _ tired  _ as  **_fuck_ ** . 

 

A few of them gave in and left, so Jeremy ducked under a few arms and ran with what little strength he had to his locker. Maybe he had a bottle of advil or a half-eaten sandwich in there.

 

“Jeremy, catch.” Michael threw a granola bar and an apple at him. The granola bar was, thankfully, the only thing that hit his head. He chomped it down like it was nectar from the gods.

 

“Michael, you are the best thing to ever happen to me.” Jeremy ran over to Michael for a quick hug. Literal tears were streaming down his face.

 

“Jeremy, I think you need to go home. You’re acting nice for once, so I think you’re brain is short-circuiting,” Michael said.

 

“Oh, I’ve gone far past the deep end. The line between life and death is the five hour energy in my locker,” Jeremy pointed.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be indirectly responsible for your death if I let you drink that,” Michael closed his eyes and shook his head. Jeremy ran to his locker, opened the bottle, and Michael opened his eyes just in time to watch Jeremy down it.

 

“See, Michael? I told you nothing would happen,” Jeremy said. He blinked and found that he was inside his basement. It was five o’ clock when he opened his phone.

 

“Jeremy? I just asked you if you wanted to order a pizza,” Michael said.

 

“No, you said that the five hour energy would kill me.” Jeremy shook his head. “It was only one o'clock a few seconds ago! What the fuck? Did I just displace myself in time?”

 

“You were a bit zoned out, but you seemed normal...” Michael trailed off. “Can you remember anyth-”

 

“NO!” Jeremy’s jaw dropped. “What the fuck just happened? I lost four hours of my life and I don’t know how!”

 

“You shouldn’t have drank that.”

 

“No, shit, Sherlock!” Jeremy clawed at his head. “I literally blacked out for  _ hours _ , Michael! I could’ve caused World War Three and I would have no idea!”

 

“But you responded to every question! Albeit, in a flat tone, but you seemed conscious!”

 

“I wasn’t!”

 

Michael started laughing while Jeremy continued his existential crisis.

 

“Did I show Christine my painting?” The skinny man asked.

 

“The better question would be who hasn’t seen it?” Michael chuckled. “It’s all over Instagram. I captioned my repost as ‘twink draws really well’ and that got a lot of laughs from our friends.”

 

“I’m not a twink!” Jeremy gulped and darted his eyes up and down. “You’re a twink!”

 

“I’m a twunk. I’m a twink and a hunk. You’re just a bisexual twink,” Michael rationalized.

 

“Alright, just give me another shot of that five hour energy. I want to displace my confused out of here or die. Sorry, Michael. Looks like I won’t ever finish my drawing of you.” Jeremy stuck out his hand.

 

Michael kept cackling. Jeremy blinked twice, lost control of every sense, and then passed out on the carpeted floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY FUCKING GOD I GOT FANART
> 
> https://dev-bee.tumblr.com/post/177247887408/christine-from-maraculates-amazing-bmc-fic


	6. Flash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremy wakes up to a few surprises and gets to work on his last piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Easily my favorite chapter. I had so much fun writing this.

“So, the pros and cons of Michael, huh?” Jeremy murmured during his friday night.

 

It came to Jeremy’s understanding that he loved his Filipino friend. As in, loved him like he wanted Michael to fuck him so hard into the mattress that he wouldn’t be able to sit right.

 

So how the hell was he going to reflect that in his painting?

 

“Not the fucking part…” Jeremy said as an afterthought.

 

Michael was a lot of things. Some people could describe their best friends for hours while others only need a sentence. Jeremy was probably the former.

 

Pros: ‘Michael has always had my back. Even when I’ve hurt him badly, he still came back for me after one talk with my dad. I’m probably going to be forever thankful for him and I’ll probably regret the day I took the you-know-what forever, too. I know Michael forgave me for it because he’s just that nice, but I still feel awful about it. Anyway, Michael is a whole lot of fun to be around. He’s equally passionate about everything I like, and he’s extremely funny. No one has made me laugh as much as Michael has. He’s my best friend and… I’m in love with him. I love him so much. He makes my stomach flip and my head go dizzy. I know that he’s always a phone call away, and that he’s the best person in my life.’

  
Cons: ‘Michael can be an absolute dumbass. He has awful habits like hitting that dank weed, staying up for long periods of time, falling asleep in class, throwing things at me, and pranking me whenever we have a sleepover. I get annoyed with him often, but that comes with the territory of being overly familiar with each other. I know that expecting him to always act silly and sweet and perfect is impossible, but a man can dream. Oh, fuck it, who am I kidding. Michael is perfect even when he’s not.’

 

Ugh, he sounded like such a  _ creep _ .

 

That led Jeremy to his next question.

 

What the fuck was he going to draw Michael as?

 

It had to be deep and meaningful because Jeremy wanted to confess to him. If Jeremy gave him a less than fantastic drawing, he probably wouldn’t be able to find the courage to admit his feelings.

 

The first thought that came from Michael was smoke for obvious reasons. Jeremy scrubbed it from his mind.

 

The next thought was what Jeremy couldn’t do. He couldn’t do music, light, darkness, ice, anything in space, and springtime. 

 

Whatever Michael was going to be, Jeremy knew it had to be intense and flashy. Something wild and unpredictable, yet controlled and expected. Michael was many things, but Jeremy knew that there had to be something out there to describe him.

 

He decided to look up ‘most common elements’ and work from there.

 

_ Glossary Term - 10 Most Abundant Elements in the Universe _

 

_ Abundance of the chemical elements - Wikipedia _

 

_ What Is The Universe’s Third Most Common Element? Forbes _

 

Okay, Jeremy should’ve expected that.

 

He tried ‘phenomenon in nature’ instead.

 

_ Aurora _

 

_ Circumhorizontal Arc _

 

_ Ball Lightning _

 

_ Morning Glory Cloud _

 

None of them seemed to make sense. He clicked on each of them, and got wikipedia explanations for each of them. Apparently, ball lightning killed a lot of people.

 

Jeremy checked the time, and found it was five in the morning. He was about to pull out his hair.

 

He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. His eyes shot open what felt like moments later. It was actually eight hours of sleep on the dot.

 

He checked his phone and found that the group chat had zero messages, so that meant Jeremy definitely had no new notifications. Usually, Rich and Jake sent shitty dead memes to the chat at least ten times per day, so it was surprising to see… well, nothing.

 

Oh, wait, Jeremy had his notifications off. Why were his Instagram notifications off, too? He swiped those back on.

 

_ 204 Messages from Squad Goals _

 

_ 10 Messages from VSauceMichael _

 

_ 2 Messages from PlayGirl420 _

 

_ 1 Message from ShortTemper _

 

_ 4 Messages from ChloChlo _

 

_ 4 Messages from BrookeIsStraightForTomHolland _

 

_ 3 Messages from MyLeg(s)! _

 

_ @gc1812 liked your photo. _

 

_ @35mm liked your photo. _

 

_ @tilda liked your photo. _

 

_ @hamiltonsoffun liked your photo. _

 

_ @literallythedevil liked your photo. _

 

_ @mrjoeiconis + 2,932 others followed you. _

 

Jeremy could barely get through the likes. He hurriedly opened his Instagram.

 

Jenna had posted the first two photos of her and Brooke, but she tagged Jeremy’s account on them. All the people who posted his art from when he brought it to school either tagged him or mentioned him by name, so that only served to increase his social media presence.

 

Before the explosion of followers, he only had 32 followers. A bunch of them were family members and everyone else was from school. That was it, though. He only had five posts, too. Three of them were squad photos, one of them was a drawing of a flower on the back of his palm, and the other was a sketch of Michael that he made in ninth grade, but never bothered to finish.

 

It was pretty obvious which one got the most likes, though.

 

All of the comments (Jeremy had never seen a thousand people comment on his posts) were positive. Well, ninety nine percent of them. He recognized a girl from his school named Candace who advertised her own Instagram. She did makeup tutorials and was an actual Instagram model with three thousand followers. She had the most followers out of everyone in the school. Even surpassing Chloe.

 

Well, had.

 

In the minutes Jeremy was up, he gained an extra hundred followers. What happened?

 

He decided to group facetime the squad.

 

“Jeremy!” Michael screeched.

 

“Holy shit, Jeremy, you’re famous!” Jenna yelled.

 

Christine, Chloe, Brooke, and Jake and Rich with the same phone joined the call. They all had similar things to say.

 

“What happened? I was up until five painting and now, I have more followers than Candace Flynn!” Jeremy shouted at his phone.

 

“It’s called everyone at school reposting your art and putting hashtags under them. You’re talented, and people recognize that! I also may have sped up the process a little, but that’s not important,” Jenna explained.

 

“Jenna, what did you do?” Jeremy squinted at her.

 

“I called in a few favors with a few famous art people on YouTube and they posted your stuff on their tumblrs,” Jenna shrugged. “Someone with the initials CC reposted your stuff. I forget her or their or his or whatever’s name.”

 

“I’ve never seen any of my posts get more than… two thousand likes?” Jeremy stared at his phone, absolutely bewildered.

 

“Don’t forget us when you’re famous, Jeremy!” Michael shouted.

 

“Jeremy, I think you’ll hit ten thousand followers if you post one of your paintings today. Obviously, something besides the ones that have been cycled through Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr,” Jenna said.

 

“I’m working on Michael’s painting if that’s what you mean? Oh, and by the way, you guys can keep the original paintings. Just come over,” Jeremy said.

 

“Wait, seriously? I’m coming over now. Brooke, I’ll pick you up because I can tell you want to get yours,” Chloe said. She ended her call.

 

“Bye!” Brooke grinned. She hung up, too. Jenna hung up without saying anything.

 

“Rich and I will drive over.” Jake hung up.

 

“I have to go shopping soon, but I’ll be over later, Jeremy! By the way, I never said thank you for drawing that beautiful painting of me! It made my heart melt!” Christine praised him earnestly. She disappeared, too.

 

“Aw, you’re working on me?” Michael cooed.

 

“I’ll finish yours eventually. If you keep talking like that, I’ll just paint a tombstone that says ‘Michael Mell died from Sugma’ on it,” Jeremy promised.

 

“Alright, alright, fine,” Michael sighed. “See you later, dude. I know it’ll be great!”

 

Jeremy heard a knock on his door. Christ, who drove that fast? It was probably Rich, but that Saturday was filled to the brim with surprises.

 

He grabbed all of the original paintings except Christine’s and went to the door. It was Rich and Jake, after all.

 

“Here you guys go. One double painting and two individual paintings.” Jeremy handed them the space-based art.

 

“Sweet!” Rich beamed.

 

“Are you going to succon tomorrow?” Jake asked.

 

Jeremy slammed the door on their faces. 

 

Twenty seconds later, another knock on the door.

 

Jeremy opened it, and it revealed Jenna.

 

“Did you run here?” Jeremy asked.

 

“I live like six houses from you,” Jenna said. Jeremy gave her her drawing. Chloe and Brooke pulled up on the road nearby.

 

“Give these to them?” Jeremy handed her the music and ice portraits. Jenna shrugged and went to her car. Jeremy shut the door again.

 

Now he could focus on Michael. That was what was important.

 

…

 

He still had no idea what he wanted to draw Michael as.

 

Jeremy ruffled through some old artwork that he had. He used to draw a lot of shitty art of him and Michael doing something stupid, so there was no way that he would post those.

 

Then, he found the aesthetic ™ paintings and decided to post one of those. One of them was a simple sunrise over the ocean.

 

Jeremy had no idea how to caption well, so he decided to stick with something really simple.

 

_ Old drawing of mine from ninth grade. _

 

There was no way  _ in Hell  _ Jeremy was going to include a hashtag.

 

A few seconds later, he realized that he didn’t have to.

 

Ten likes in about four seconds. The number kept coalescing, and so did the number of comments. He got a lot of heart eye emojis, compliments, or a mix of the two.

 

Jeremy turned off his phone notifications and focused back on painting.

 

What was Michael? His crush, his best friend, his favorite person? How could Jeremy represent him in the best way possible?

 

A large crack of thunder interrupted Jeremy’s thought processes. The damn storms always interrupted his thinking process, and the pattering of rain against his windows along with the lightning drew his attention away more than a few times.

 

Jeremy stared at the blank canvass before his eyes snapped towards the outside world.

 

A bolt of lightning rained down from heaven.

 

Oh, duh.

 

Michael was lightning and thunder. Well, storms would probably work as a simplification.

 

His best friend was flashy, loud, spectacular, and the most conspicuous person that Jeremy knew. When he walked in a room, everyone’s eyes landed on him. He always had his tattered sweater on along with headphones around his neck and usually, a slushie in hand. When Michael made an entrance, he made it count.

 

Not only that, but Michael was really hot… like Tho- uh, he meant lightning. Yeah, Jeremy meant lightning. Heat. Fire. Yeah.

 

It also helped that Michael was obsessed with technology of all kinds. He wanted to create video games since his coding skills were amazing and math and science were his bitches. And what powered technology? Electricity.

 

Now, Jeremy just had to draw Michael.

 

He got out the yellow, grey, and brown. He started working immediately. 

 

Halfway through, he realized that he basically drew Michael as chiseled. He drew him as a floating god of sorts that commanded the lightning and thunder around him. Jeremy looked away and set the canvass to the side. He was not painting porn of his best friend. No way. Nada. Never happening.

 

That was what he told himself the next five times when he drew Michael as probably the sexiest man alive. Jeremy kept those pictures in a separate page in his journal. Just in case he needed them...

 

“Okay, Jeremy. It’s…” He squinted at the time. Jeremy would probably need glasses before high school ended. “Only five. I expected it to be seven, so that’s great… and I’m talking to myself. Schizophrenia isn’t sexy...”

 

Jeremy got back to work and wetted his brushes again. He decided to draw Michael last instead of first that time. He drew Montclair from a bird’s eye view and created storm clouds of differing shades. Most of them were black, but he threw in some shades of grey to make it seem more real. 

 

Then, he had to focus on Michael.

 

Instead of drawing him as muscular, Jeremy covered Michael in lightning bolts. He wore dark clothes that were similar to the clouds, and lightning circled around him like hula-hoops. He had a wicked grin on his face as lightning sprung out in frenzies away from him.

 

It was more epic than Despacito.

 

Michael retained a god-like persona, but it wasn't in a way that made him look particularly sexy. He called Michael.

 

“Could you come over? I finished your painting!” Jeremy’s voice, thankfully, didn’t go up ten octaves.

 

“You did? That’s awesome! You better not have drawn me as the personification of Despacito or Ligma, though. I’ll throttle you,” Michael promised.

 

“Nothing like that, dude. It’s all good,” Jeremy promised. Michael hung up.

 

Oh, God, what if he hated the painting?

 

Jeremy knew that was unlikely, but he couldn’t help but imagine the conversation going South. Michael would hate the painting and never speak to him again if he showed him. It would just be like the Squipcident except permanent.

 

The doorbell rang five minutes later. Jeremy gripped the painting tightly. He had a heater that dried his paintings really fast, but it didn’t make the paint go everywhere and anywhere. Jeremy hesitated, though. He took a picture of it instead and put it in his journal. It was actually the third-to-last page, so Jeremy would have to get a new book soon. The ones before the finished draft had the pros and cons along with the ‘sexy’ drawings of him.

 

“What’s up guys, AliA here, and I just found out that Fortnite gives you cancer?” Michael said in the accent. “Bamp BWUMp Bamp Bump Bamp-” he started mocking the intro.

 

“I finished your… thing.” Jeremy flipped open his book and showed Michael.

 

Michael stared at it for an awfully long time. Jeremy wondered what he could possibly think of it. Was he mesmerized? Shocked? Disgusted? It was definitely surprised, but Jeremy had no idea what kind of surprised.

 

Michael flipped the page and Jeremy stared at him.

 

“Why did you…?” Jeremy moved so that he could look at the page with Michael. If the blood could drain out of his face in a millisecond, it would have.

 

Michael flipped to the page where his finished drawing was.

 

That meant he saw…

 

“Jeremy, it’s beautiful. It’s so much more epic than Despacito, too!” Michael grinned.

 

“How are you not horrified?” Jeremy looked down. His face had never burned so much. He was sure that a fever hit him in that moment.

 

“Why would I be horrified?” He asked.

 

Jeremy looked at him like he was the biggest dumbass in the world. “I drew you as a sexy god and admitted that I liked you in a more-than-best-friends way!” He flipped out. “ON PAPER!”

 

“Wait, Jeremy, calm down!” Michael realized why Jeremy would be so horrified. “I like you, too! I liked everything you said about me and I liked the sexy drawings, too! Your finished drawing and everything you draw is so awesome!” He gripped his shoulders.

 

“You like me too?!?!?” Jeremy squawked. He was dreaming. It all had to be a dream. Nothing about his Saturday was realistic. He was insta-famous (sort of) and now, his best friend liked him back?

 

“Yes! For like five years, dumbass!” Michael shouted back at him.

 

“WhAT?” Jeremy’s voice cracked.

 

Michael rolled his eyes and slowly pressed his lips to Jeremy’s. Jeremy made a muffled noise of protest before his brain could process what was happening. Michael was about to pull away, his eyes wide, but Jeremy gripped his hair and kissed him with more fierceness.

 

“That was…” Michael gulped. “A bit strange.”

 

“Yeah, kissing’s weird,” Jeremy admitted. He wrapped his arms around Michael’s neck. “I’m still mortified that you saw those failed drawings of you.”

 

“I think it’s sweet that you drew me as a sexy god.” Michael wiggled his eyebrows.

 

“I have to burn those. I can’t imagine what people would say if they saw them,” Jeremy murmured.

 

“They would say that I’m one sexy beast,” Michael promised. Jeremy shoved him. “Do you have the original painting?”

 

Jeremy nodded. He led Michael to his room and gave him the recently finished painting.

 

“It looks better in person,” Michael admitted.

 

“I agree.” Jeremy said, his eyes never leaving Michael. Michael realized what that meant and pulled Jeremy into another kiss.

 

“You fucking sappy dork,” Michael muttered.

 

“Hey, stand over there with the painting in hand.” Jeremy got out his phone. He felt bold and brash for once, so he was going to caption his latest Instagram photo with something different.

 

Michael shrugged and gave the camera a million dollar smile as he held up the painting. Jeremy took the picture.

 

_ This one’s my favorite. @ReggaeMell I love you.  _

 

Jeremy didn’t hesitate before posting it. Michael leaned over his shoulder to look at the photo.

 

“You admitted your love to me on an Instagram caption?” Michael facepalmed.

 

“I love you,” Jeremy repeated.

 

Michael rolled his eyes, muttered something similar to ‘this fucking boy’, and pulled Jeremy into another makeout session.

 

Jeremy ignored the onslaught of messages. He drowned in Michael’s warmth and love like the touch-starved man he was.

 

“Hey, what would you draw yourself as?” Michael whispered after a few minutes of alone time.

 

Jeremy had to think on his answer. He gave Michael a flirtatious smirk. “Yours.”

 

Michael pretended to gag himself and Jeremy cackled.

 

“I would probably draw myself as the personification of time. I’m always moving, working, and doing something. I take advantage of every last second, even at the expense of my health. Also, because it took me so long to realize my feelings, I want to spend every last second with you. You’re my best friend, but you’re also so much more than that. I feel like time slows down when we kiss, and that I only have to count the seconds while we’re apart until I can see you again,” Jeremy whispered. “While you shine bright for a short period wherever you go, it’s a memorable time, watching you.”

 

“Holy fuck, keeping talking like that and I won’t be able to stop myself from loving you forever,” Michael murmured. He took off his glasses (Jeremy would never admit that he looked hotter when he was legally blind), and Jeremy found it easier to kiss Michael.

 

“So… now what?” Jeremy wondered. He kept his arms around Michael.

 

“We can just stay here. Together. No one is rushing us. Time can tick on for all I care.” Michael smirked. “How many likes do I have?”

 

“Five hundred and fifty two. Three. Four.” Jeremy looked. “A lot of people are commenting about how the drawing is amazing, how cute you are, and something about ‘stanning’ hashtag boyf_riends.” Jeremy squinted. “Oh, that last one was Jenna.”

 

“That’s cool. I’m glad that people like your painting even though that’s what I expected.” Michael nodded.

 

“My follower count is surprisingly getting higher,” Jeremy looked through his Instagram. They both sat down on the bed and Michael put his arms around Jeremy again while he stared at his phone. Jeremy shifted into Michael’s lap and the taller man squeaked.

 

“Uh, Jeremy? Mini Mell is about to make an appearance, guest starring your bony ass,” Michael warned him.

 

He blinked twice at Michael before he shot off his lap. Michael laughed so hard that tears spilled out and Jeremy joined him.

 

“It just came like lightning!” Michael insisted. Jeremy’s stomach started to  _ hurt  _ with how much he laughed.

 

“You’re such a-a-a freak,” Jeremy sighed. “I can’t believe I’m boyfriends with a psychopath.”

 

“This psychopath loves you wholeheartedly, but he wouldn’t kill anyone,” Michael confessed.

 

“Aw, that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever told me!” Jeremy realized in that moment just how exhausted he was. “Make sure my head doesn’t hit the ground.”

 

“Wait, wha-” Michael caught Jeremy before his unconscious body leaned towards the floor. “You overworked yourself  _ again _ ?” He complained. Michael muttered a few curse words under his breath as he texted his parents that he was staying over at Jeremy’s. Michael found it easier to lay Jeremy down on his chest as he slept, so he wrapped his arms around his lower back and sighed.

 

Jeremy snored quietly.

 

“Not only are you a fucking twig, but you’re constantly exhausted and scared that people are going to hate your amazing artwork…” Michael berated him. “Just like a true artist,” he added.

 

The orange glow of the late afternoon bathed them both in light. Michael stared off into the distance, thinking about how much love he was prepared to give to Jeremy. As much as he complained about him, Jeremy was the best person to ever come into life.

 

Michael reached over and grabbed Jeremy’s journal. On the second-to-last page, he wrote a pros and cons list for him.

 

Pros: ‘Jeremy is the most talented person I’ve ever met. His laugh is like the song of nature in the early morning, his smile lights up the abysmal nights, and his kindness is unparalleled, yet his humor is wicked and unforgiving.’

 

Cons: ‘He needs to take care of himself more and trust in the fact that he is loved. As much as emotions make me cringe, he brings them out of me without even trying. I resent and love him for that. When you read this Jeremy, know that you are my favorite person. You’re flawed, but you are my favorite person.’

 

On the last page, Michael wrote three words. He was sure Jeremy would treasure the words forever. He thought long and hard, but he found the perfect phrase that was even more meaningful than ‘I love you’.

 

‘Ligma nutz, bitch.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fight me if you think Michael wouldn't write that in his journal.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear to God if one of you comments about X shouldn't be Y and how they should be Z I will devour your intestines.


End file.
